Meacham, Holdren got shot at open shooting guard for Illini

Wednesday

Oct 31, 2007 at 12:01 AMOct 31, 2007 at 7:33 PM

As Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber takes a closer look at freshmen who may redshirt in the Illinois exhibition basketball opener against Division II Quincy tonight, former Champaign Centennial High School teammates Trent Meacham and Steve Holdren get the first shot at the open shooting guard spot.

John Supinie

As Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber takes a closer look at freshmen who may redshirt in the Illinois exhibition basketball opener against Division II Quincy tonight, former Champaign Centennial High School teammates Trent Meacham and Steve Holdren get the first shot at the open shooting guard spot.

"People are thinking what are two walk-ons going to do,'' Holdren said. "People who know Trent and me know we can play at this level.''

For everyone else outside of this town's westside neighborhoods, that question still lingers. While Weber could also go with athletic wings or two point guards who are less pure shooters, Meacham and Holdren, a pair of non-scholarship juniors, get the first chance.

"It's theirs to lose,'' Weber said. "The question is can you play those two together against certain teams, depending on defensive matchups and zones. Trent didn't shoot threes great the other day (in the Orange and Blue scrimmage). We need him to be a 40-percent 3-point shooter. That's important to get him and Steve around there. That would suffice for us to be successful. (The position) is those guys' to lose.''

Weber searches for scoring punch while guard Jamar Smith redshirts. In Big Ten play last season, Illinois ranked ninth in scoring (57.5) and last in shooting (40.1).

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Meacham shot 40.2 percent from the 3-point line last season, although his average dipped to 26.1 percent from three during Big Ten Conference play. He averaged 5.0 points a game in his first year on the court with the Illini after transfering from Dayton. He was 0-for-5 from three in the scrimmage.

"I definitely need to help with the scoring,'' Meacham said. "That's something we struggled with last year.''

The 6-5, 200-pound Holdren scored a career-high 28 points for South Dakota State in a loss to Illinois at Assembly Hall in November, 2005, before a torn knee ligament ended his season. He left a scholarship to walk on with the Illini. Holdren's movement has improved as the injured knee gained strength.

"He's a better athlete than you expect,'' Meacham said. "He's got good size. He has a good feel for the game. In high school, I was the point guard and he was the power forward who also played on the wing. It's a lot of fun playing with him.''

Junior point guard Chester Frazier won't play because of a sprained thumb, handing more minutes to freshmen point guards Demetri McCamey and Jeff Jordan. Weber won't get an early look at Frazier and McCamey sharing the backcourt, but he will keep an eye on freshmen forwards Bill Cole, Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis -- players still able to redshirt despite playing in exhibitions.

"We have to make sure they get a lot of minutes,'' Weber said. "You're trying to put your team together. At the same time, we have decisions to make on redshirting. We have big decisions on who is going to be in the top eight or nine. (The freshmen) are going to have to get a lot of minutes.

"My plan isn't to play some of the older, experienced guys as much. I can't worry about the score. I have to let those (young) guys play.''

In an up-and-down preseason for the freshman forwards, Cole made the latest jump, Weber said. Cole used some of his experience in a motion offense at Peoria Richwoods to quickly learn Weber's concepts.

"The last week, he's really been a nice surprise,'' Weber said. "During the first part of practice, he wasn't really a factor. You wondered if he could deal with the physical play. He's smart enough to know if he screens for somebody and step out, he can get an open shot.

"It's simple things. It's kind of like (former Illini) Jack Ingram. He finally figured out if he works with James (Augustine), he gets open shots. If you've worked on your shot, you get wide-open shots. All of a sudden, he's pretty good.''

NOTE: Sophomore C.J. Jackson is now on football scholarship. The offensive tackle, who began his Illini career as a basketball forward, may rejoin the basketball team in January. . .

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more Illini coverage, see Illini Talk blog at www.sjpr.com and www.pjstar.com .

Illinois vs. Quincy

Time: 8 p.m.

Where: Assembly Hall

TV: Big Ten Network

Radio: Illini Sports Network

NOTES: Illinois plays the first of two exhibition games. . . Quincy finished 20-10 overall last season and appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the third straight season. The Hawks were picked to finish fourth in the seven-team Great Lakes Valley Conference west division. Guard Andre Muse, a 6-5 senior from Homewood-Flossmoor, was a preseason second-team all-conference pick. . . Part of the season-ticket package, the game is a sellout. . .

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